This invention relates to a timepiece, and more particularly to the bearing and frame structures of a timepiece.
Conventional timepieces employ resilient (i.e. elastic) portions which press against internal members of the timepiece to properly position and maintain the position of these internal members relative to each other. These resilient portions are separately formed from a gear train bridge of the timepiece. The frame of the timepiece is individually formed from a ribbon-shaped or a resin-molded thin plate to reduce the frame cost. The gear train bridge is also individually formed from a relatively thick material on which a recess or the like is provided which serves as a notch.
The number of separately formed pieces and differences in the thickness of material used to form the timepiece require a number of different processing techniques. Consequently, the time and cost to manufacture the timepiece is relatively high. Servicing of the timepiece due to the plurality of individual pieces is also inconvenient.
Frames of timepieces formed from ribbon-shaped thin plates are relatively fragile and must be specially and carefully treated to prevent being damaged from external forces such as being inadvertently dropped (i.e. drop impact). Frames formed from resin-molded thin plates require additional time to manufacture and cannot be manufactured with the degree of precision (i.e. accuracy) desired due to deformation thereof from heating.
It is therefore desirable to provide a timepiece where both the bearing and resilient members of the timepiece are formed as part of the frame. The cost of manufacturing the frame and bearing structures of the timepiece should be reduced and the relative strength of the frame should be increased compared to frame and bearing structures of conventional timepieces. The manufacturing precision should be increased and manufacturing time reduced resulting in a further reduction in the manufacturing cost of the timepiece compared to conventional timepieces.